Stress-Induced Brain Fog

Are you wondering why, as the world comes out of the collective COVID-19 trauma, you still don’t feel that you can focus or completely be yourself? Or, do you find that even when you do have time to relax you can’t quite feel at ease? Do you notice that your brain is constantly on edge and that you lose time doing meaningless tasks or spacing out in your head?

And when you can’t accomplish what you set out to accomplish, do you beat yourself up for not being more on top of things?

You are not alone. Many are feeling frazzled. As a client said to me today, “I should feel better; all I wanted was my life back, and now that it’s back, I can’t handle it.”

We are living in a changing world with a great deal of uncertainty, which invites stress and burnout. We feel responsible for ourselves and our families and at the same time are faced with negotiating a world we can’t control. Coping with this duality leaves many exhausted with only enough energy to muster the bare minimum that it takes to stay afloat.

Exacerbated by Technology

Exacerbating the situation is the burden of technology. We’re not really relaxing in a restorative way when we are spacing out on our phones. And being on a device makes us feel that we should be immediately responsive and available to whatever comes in, no matter how pressing or trivial it may be. The endless scrolling, texting, and emails are just one more drain on the brain.

These forces and others can lead to stress-induced brain fog—where you’re no longer able to focus and remember at your usual capacity. You feel out of it and like an imposter compared to everyone else; you fake it the best you can by checking boxes and going through the motions of life. Privately, you feel a disconnect with yourself, others, your work, and/or the world around you.

When stress is chronic, as is often the case with brain fog, the brain’s physiological reaction may be fight or flight. The resulting flood of stress hormones keeps us hypervigilant and then in the aftermath leaves us feeling lethargic, depressed, or just generally out of sorts.

How to Clear the Fog

There are strategies to clear away the fog. Today, take a helpful first step: Observe yourself for a moment. Recognize if you’ve been existing in a frazzled, stressed-out state of mind. Once you have a label of what’s going on, you can start doing something about it. Instead of feeling like this is just your "new normal," start believing that changes in your routines can bring clarity and enhanced vitality.

Learn more in my new book Overcoming Stress-Induced Brain Fog.